First Date Cutlery: Making Dinner Dates Less Awkward and More Insightful

As if first dates don't come packed with enough over analyzation as it is, there's now a cutlery set that looks so far into designing a less awkward dinner date that it actually might be cutting back on your culinary meet-and-greet anxiety. First Date Cutlery, the creation of London-based designer Cristina Guardiola, "aims to smooth over some of the potential anxiety of a first date dining experience by facilitating good table etiquette and encouraging interaction."

First Course
The set (and dinner date) begins with a soup spoon. With first impressions being key, you would think that soup would steer clear of the menu. But the designer reassures the eater with a design that supports the correct use from the side of the spoon, rather than slurping from the tip of the utensil.

Main Course
As we all know (and sometimes dread) most of the talking happens while waiting for the main course or between poorly timed bites. A hidden magnet strip within the fork and knife force the eater to take a minute from eating and spend time focusing on and interacting with their date.

Dessert
The "getting to know you" has happened and it's time to be a bit more direct. The final component in this dining set is aimed at just that. Inspired by an oval bowl that's been rotated 180 degress, this dessert spoon is made for two people sharing one dish.

What do you think--if there's anything that can tone down the awkwardness of a first dinner date, is this it?

Erika is the editorial assistant at Core77. When she isn't covering design, you can find her writing about music, food, and healthy living habits. But mostly music. She also has a strong affinity for hedgehogs, bowling, and bands with goofy names.

2 Comments

Firstly by changing the shape of the soup spoon it becomes handed, so won't work as well if you are left handed, increasing awkwardness. A magnet in the fork and knife will either make you look silly when trying to pull them apart or provide a talking point, but it won't force you to take a minute to interact with your date, you should be doing that anyway. Making the dessert spoon oval, means its harder to pull the spoon cleanly from your mouth as we do every day if eating dessert. It's a bit of fun and nicely made, which I applaud, but practically, if you struggle to feed yourself on a date, go for pizza!

I love over-designed cutlery, but I think this missed the mark. The utensils should be downsized to force people to take smaller bites. The meal will last longer and nobody will be stuck with a huge mouthful, much more effective than a magnet. Also, the dessert spoon feels a bit presumptuous, and having only one leaves too much opportunity for one person to commandeer the course. Some people could even find the gesture of being fed patronizing. Sharing is great, especially on a first date (demonstrating cooperation) but each person should have their own utensil.
Other thoughts that may or may not be helpful:
Limiting the number of utensils could be interesting. Often times too many utensils are seen as intimidating, it could be taken to the other extreme. Maybe a re-visit of the spork?
Personally I think the spoon is the most useful utensil. It can cut many foods and scoop up things that would normally be left to the fork. The main exception is salad, but that's a poor date food because it can be messy if it isn't chopped small enough.
Many soup spoons are actually too big for women. They rub against the side of our mouthes if we try to lick them clean. This is particularly problematic with disposable plastic cutlery.

Military precision and teamwork

Being a New Yorker, the year I spent living in Japan was a shock because the country is so spotlessly clean. It's as clean as it is for three reasons, the first two being that average citizens pick up after themselves, and they also pick up after un-average citizens. You'll

Stairway to hell (in a handbasket)

Last year we wrote about those sidewalk "texting lanes" in China, which were thankfully de-bunked. But now an American college, Utah Valley University, appears to have actually added the things to the staircases in their Student Life & Wellness Center. The news report from Salt Lake City's KTSU indicates it

We tip our hats to the designers driven by the belief that altruism hasn't gone out of style! When others go after the shiny, new and stylish, these designers seek positive impact—whether social, cultural or environmental—in addition to strong aesthetic and functional results. Here are some of our most inspiring

Designing for social impact is a systems-based process that involves all aspects of design and life and requires an ability to think strategically about issues of policy and economics among others. This vital field tackles some of the biggest issues of our age: environmental solutions, poverty and disaster relief are